I think it's great. It addresses a "women's problem" as a serious public health concern. It uses a non-shaming message and offers help and hope, not threats (eg bulimia will kill you). The placement of the stickers is innovative and probably effective-- women will see them when they cannot deny that they they are engaged in the disease. Perhaps not being a pink splatter would be nice--what would you suggest instead? Ultimately, I think having this campaign is the most important thing, and I wish they would do something similar in the US. Protecting women's health is more important than a color scheme.

its a good try...i think they could think of a better way to present this add (it not being a splatter and maybe not such a stereotypical female color), but I think it is a very good idea for an add campaign.
Lets bring it to America!

I thought the exact same thing. The idea is good and I like it (although I`d like to see a deeper phrase. that`s still better than nothing, though).

But the splatter screams "bad taste" and "insensitive"!! There's a million ways to do that, without the splatter. And without the pink too, although I think that's not the biggest problem here.

I like it. I enjoy how straightforward it is. From my own experience, people with eating disorders don't hide the truth from themselves--there's no need to tiptoe. I used to have very dark humor about my ED and I think this would have appealed to me. I like the splatter concept.

But yes, just because we're girls doesn't mean we spew pink. Jeez.

I am skeptical about this the same way I'm skeptical about the cartoons I see telling me not to smoke weed. Does this really seem like an effective way to combat this problem?

I think it's an important problem. I just think that any money they spend doing this would have been better spent in some other way. I'm not sure what other way, but my intuition just tells me that this won't be effective. Of course, I admit I have almost no ability to think like a young woman who is bulimic, so if the intuition of more informed people is that this type of program will be effective then I approve wholeheartedly. What are other people's intuitions on the effectiveness of something like this?

pink splatter? i'd rather a million esophogi disintegrate in the name of beauty than have one person be offended by the color pink!

Well I like the innovative spirit employed here in the hopes of helping young women. But, I somehow doubt it will be any more effective that the blackened lungs we see on cigarette packages or the latest marijauna-awareness ads. I almost feel as though we, the public, have been so utterly deluged by advertising that we have been conditioned to sort of ignore it or it is seen as merely background noise, even in cases when it is meant to help us. I hope I am wrong in this particular instance, and indeed the ads may help some people, but I doubt it will have any sort of wide-ranging effect.

I think it's actually a pretty good idea. As for the choice of the colour pink, think of it this way: in terms of eye-catching colours, which ones are best going to work on the underside of a toilet lid? Orange and green might too closely resemble actual vomit for some people's taste; I've frequently seen splatters of blue cleaner on poorly cleaned public toilets; and red and yellow... well, I don't think I need to tell you the problem with red and yellow! You're pretty much left with pink and purple, right?

Having battled an eating disorder for a number of years, to me, if I had seen that when I was sick, I would definitely have been more annoyed and offended.

The color is horrible. The fact that it's splatter is horrible. While the message isn't as bad as some, I don't find it helpful at all.

But that's just me. I can't speak for everyone. But I wonder if there were any focus groups about this.

It's hard to imagine what will or will not be helpful for women who are fighting bulimia because all of those people who will encounter these ads will be at a different point in their struggle.

I think the one thing that could possibly have an impact is that it is located in the 'secret' place. The place where you hide. And having this in that space is kind of making you acknowledge the reality and also proving that you are not the only one struggling with this. If it is a big enough deal to put an ad in that space....then it is more common than you might believe.

the colour isn't great, but it could be worse...

It's hard to imagine what will or will not be helpful for women who are fighting bulimia because all of those people who will encounter these ads will be at a different point in their struggle.

I think the one thing that could possibly have an impact is that it is located in the 'secret' place. The place where you hide. And having this in that space is kind of making you acknowledge the reality and also proving that you are not the only one struggling with this. If it is a big enough deal to put an ad in that space....then it is more common than you might believe.

the colour isn't great, but it could be worse...

i don't imagine they'll be very effective when the news stand down the street still has women with size 0 bodies plastered all over it. things like this are just treating the symptoms no matter how creative they are.

I had to think about this for a little but I like the idea. It Red flags usually start raising in my head whenever I see anything that is bright pink and targeted toward women. However, the color makes sense. If your bulimic chances are at one point your going to throw up blood and its going to pink. Seeing blood can be a jarring experiance (and at least for me a wake up call that I was seriously hurting myself) and I think the sighn is trying to recreate that. Pink is an important and relevant color because it is a obvious sighn something is wrong. Sure blood isn't bright pink but the color in the sighn draws attention to itself and makes sure the message can't be missed. I think targeting purging directly where it happens makes it seem less shamefull as opposed to skirting around the issue and addressing it other places while tiptoeing around what it actually is. I think its different then smoking adds because one doesn't necisarly feel the ill effects of smoking right away. You might get lung cancer in your future. At the moment maybe you can't run as far as you used to. It doesn't change your daily life for a long time. Eating disorders can consume people when they have it and relativly quickly. Even if it pushes just one person a little more toward seeking help, I think it's worth it.

I do think this is a noble effort. The only thing I worry about is that this is actually an attractive advertisement. Yes, in the context of being on a toilet bowl, it is made to represent vomit. But, out of context, it would actually be quite pretty.

We don't need bulimia or anorexia to be glamorized any more than it already is. This ad just doesn't really do what it needs to.

Again, though, it was a great effort. It just might do well for the ad to not be so "pretty" and "eye-catching."

It's too cutesy poo. They should have made it look like real vomit.

I think anything that might cause someone with an ED to pause momentarily and consider getting help is good.

I agree that the pink is stereotypical, but other colors (like green or brown) associated with puke might be seen as shaming, like pointing out the grossness of throwing up, instead of emphasizing that help is available. Yellow isn't a good color for signs, and red would be in the same category as brown and green. So blue? Purple might be good...

I'm also annoyed by the design, but I know from personal experience, bulimia can be almost like a blackout, it's really easy to go into denial and have purging become completely automatic. Those moments when you're in that trance and about to purge are some of the most vulnerable in life. This would shake me, would force me to acknowledge the act of purging, would force me to identify, despite my denial, AS a person with a disease. And that's really powerful. It would be one thing if this was EVERYWHERE, I think its power could quickly be dulled by exposure, but as something to jog bulimics out of denial, it looks like it would be extremely effective.

I don't like this. The reason why I think this is a bad idea is simply because efforts should be made to enhance body image. Women become bulimic due to unattainable beauty standards and our society's obsession with thinness. Telling someone not to throw up doesn't solve the actual problem. I think ads that feature messages such as, "you are beautiful", "you are amazing" etc. are more effective, along with general ads that feature women that aren't excessively thin. These are more likely to bolster self-esteem and improve body image.

I don't like this. The reason why I think this is a bad idea is simply because efforts should be made to enhance body image. Women become bulimic due to unattainable beauty standards and our society's obsession with thinness. Telling someone not to throw up doesn't solve the actual problem. I think ads that feature messages such as, "you are beautiful", "you are amazing" etc. are more effective, along with general ads that feature women that aren't excessively thin. These are more likely to bolster self-esteem and improve body image.

I don't love the design, but it doesn't bother me either. What I think is less than effective is the phrase itself. "Bulimia is curable." A lot of women with eating disorders consider it a "choice". (Not to say it is, just looking at it from their point of view). They're likely to think they don't need to be cured, they're doing this on purpose because they need to be thin/have control/whatever reason.

I agree with socbaker, who was glad it wasn't a shaming message "bulimia will kill you" but I think maybe something between the two would be best. Like "bulimia can cause _______". They need a reason to seek a cure, not be told that there is one. Does that make sense?

-Lilith of the ESC

Yes, I found the splatter to be.....weird.

As for pink, I get your point, but then I tried to come up with other colors that would a) stand out against the white background (yellow and pastels are out) b) isn't so dark that it obscures text (blue, brown, black, purple and green are out) and c) doesn't remind anyone of vomit, urine or feces, and I could only come up with orange, neon pink and neon green. Text pops better on pink than the other two so...maybe it was a design thing?

In the end though, I think it's a good message and a great way to reach out to individuals when they are in crisis. I hope it helps, I really do.

I have a few problems with this:

1- Bulimia does not only affect females.
2- Bulimics do not ONLY use vomiting as a means of purging.

I also don't know if suffering people will see this ad and actually call for help. Eating disorders are usually only halted through intervention- the victims rarely seeing a problem with what they're doing. In fact, the closer they are to dying, it usually looks more like victory to them. It's only those who are not afflicted who can see what the truth looks like. Also, I don't know if a poster has ever stopped anyone from doing anything.

Sorry, I think this is gross and offensive. I was actually taken aback. After some consideration, I see where you're coming from, but I think I would have burst out in tears had I seen this.

This as is counter productive by triggering thoughts that a recovering bulimic may be trying to avoid. It's like reminding someone with OCD to not think of counting. Now you've introduced the very thought they are trying to avoid, leading to the urge to count. While the ad space and the message is good, the psychology is flawed.

"This as is counter productive" I meant "this ad is counter productive" so sorry.

I do take issue with the word "curable." I think "treatable" is better because ED is not not like a virus that will eventualy with treatment just go away. I don't think the message is just "Don't throw up." It is, "There is hope" and "You can get help". This kind of tactic won't reach everyone with bulimia but I think for certain people at certain stages of the disease it could help. I think our culture's emphasis on beuty and a norrow definition of what that is does effect bulimia. However, their research that also sugest bulimia has genetic component. Even if it was totaly based on social pressures their is no realistic way to change that right now. It is a good goal but if we want to reach people suffering from e.d. right now we need to do other things as well. If someone has bulmia, they probably don't need to be told what it can lead to because they will be feeling the effects at the moment. They will know what it does to them. It's not like smoking where in some unknown future you might get sick. You can feel it taking over your life. You feel why you should seek treatment. I don't think seeing it written, "Bulimia can cause ________" would help. The knowledge that once you if you want to seek treatment it is their is much better.

This add could be triggering. It is one reason I had to think about it before I decided I it is a good idea. But trying to avoid triggering images...it's nearly imposible. Anything can be triggering--a magazine cover in the drug store, a beutiful woman walking down the street, a novel where the female lead is described as "small and delicate" ect. I once spent 4 hours on a treadmill after seeing a Law and Order episode that had a scene in a dance club. There are ways to try and avoid the most likely to be triggering images or things you know will trigger you. However, its imposible to avoid all posibly triggering images. I can't speek for anyone but myself but this is alot less triggering then many things I see every day including other ani-ed adds. That's one of the hardest part of treating ed...whenever it's discussed openly the discussion risks becoming part of the problem as a trigger.

Perhaps the color was not chosen based upon its supposed "girlyness" alone. Hot pink and bright red are eye catching, whereas yellow might blend in to the white seats too much, blue would require a different colored font, etc.

Seriously, I agree that the deluge of pink on anything and everything made for women is a bit ridiculous, but let's face it; if women didn't buy that shit by the truckload the wouldn't manufacture so much of it. Obviously the demand is there.

The last thing women need is more orders from the media as to how they should behave. I don't care if the media in this case is just a sticker and the people behind it are well-intentioned. It just adds to the general culture of policing women's choices regarding their bodies.

If pink is the worst thing that can be said about the ad, I think we're inventing reasons not to like it...there are worst colors than pink. Fucia anyone?

So, the ad is premised on the fact that someone will be vomiting while they see it? I'm not sure if that's the right time to be reaching out to a bulimic. I don't think it's necessarily offensive, but I question how effective it will be. But I guess that's why advertisers try a bunch of different mediums, no?
I do agree that the pinkness just kind of makes it look silly...

I think it's being a splatter shape is to the point--let's face it, vomit doesn't come out in a neat little ball. But as for the coloring, honestly, if it didn't say "bulimia" on it I would think it was a blood splatter and perhaps something to do with anything from self-injury to not discarding used sanitary pads directly in the toilet. (This also probably has to do with the fact that I don't know German, though.)

On this issue, I'm going to give my two cents from a subjective, personal view point, by which I mean that I'm not looking at it so much from a feminist perspective alone, nor am I contemplating the "political correctness"of the ad or the social implications it may carry, but just the effectiveness of it.

As a survivor of various ED's, including bulimia, I find this ad is very effective, or would have been back when I was sick. Yes, the image of bright splatter on the bottom of a toilet seat is gross and controversial and upsetting. But you know what? So is bulimia. And when I say it's gross, I don't mean that it should be kept hidden or lied about but it shouldn't be glamorized or passively accepted either. In my life there were many people who just accepted bulimia as a phase, or as my own free will to do as I wanted so they didn't pressure me to change, when really I needed that pressure.
Of course bulima is controversial, because [women in the majority] grow up with the double standard of having to "look good" when most of us just don't fit that tiny little margin of what's considered "looking good". We're punished for not "looking good", and then shamed into believing it's our fault. And what about the fact that bulimia is often more about control than about weight itself- how much control over themselves are young women taught to demand? So the controversy doesn't only lie in the act itself of purging, but also in the fact that we live in a society that pushes people to that point instead of changing its own standards.
And yes, bulimia is upsetting because it destroys people, kills some of them, and there's not whole lot public outcry about it. It's much more hush hush than anorexia because it's "grosser" and no one wants to talk about someone throwing up in the toilet 4 times a day.

I think the sticker works because it brings all of this to the surface and puts it right in the person's face, literally, where they can't ignore it. I was shocked by the lack of ED educational material, support groups and literature at my university. And when my peers were too afraid to get in my face about my problems, I remember wishing someone would.

finally, as for the color, maybe they are genderizing bulimia, but my first reaction when I saw it brought to mind the image of blood that got spat up with the vomit, so it just made the experience that much more life threatening and that much more real. So I vote thumbs up on that too.

Sometimes I think we worry sooooo much about how someone might get insulted or upset by a message, that we deprive ourselves of getting it across as effectively as possible. Go ahead and try to upset or insult me about my past ED's, it's much better than praising me or making up excuses on my behalf. Praise and excuses wouldn't have helped.

I think it's very effective. If I went into the bathroom and saw that I would try to get a better look at it even if I wasn't throwing up. Natural curiosity, you know.

It is effective because it is a different, creative placement of an ad. You could put the same ad in the hallway leading to a bathroom and how many people would stop and look at it? You could put it in a magazine and how many people would flip by?

It's bound to call attention and cause a buzz.

As for people who think a single ad in a toilet is not going to cause people to say "Hmm, maybe I do have a disease." OK, maybe a single ad will not. But that's the same with any campaign. You don't convince people on the first try usually. But this is one eye-catching way of getting people affected by bulimia (and not just bulimics, I could see it and give the contact info to my sister or brother) to understand there is a place where they can get help.

Of course, they could do the same old ad campaigns in newspapers and such and then we wouldn't be discussing it.

I want to throw up on it:
It's condescending. It's humorous to someone who doesn't "get" eating disorders. It's got the "eeew, vomit" factor. It's completely ineffective: if someone's gotta purge, they're going to purge. They're not going to get distracted by a hotline and reach for the cell phone. Especially if they're desperate enough to be purging in public anyways. And finally, it's triggering. It's a "reminder" of purging in the first place, and it would be the ultimate "fuck you" to throw up lunch with that PSA staring you in the face.
Hence, I want to throw up on it.

Pink and orange are the colours of Pro Mädchen's logo. Have a look, their website is kept in the same colour scheme.
The reason the sticker was made pink and orange is probably just that: these are the colours they've been using for the past three years. The target group for this campaign (local girls with bulimia who are already open to the idea of getting help) might already know of the organization, recognize the colours and thus know the offer is legitimate.

The real question is: why is a "pro girl" organization relying on the colour pink? (Looking at the old issues of their newspaper/brochure, they seemed to have used a purple colour scheme years ago, but I admit I like the pink/orange more. It's brighter, warmer, happier and more recognizable.)

I think the placement is actually a really good idea---I know part of remaining bulimic, for me, was denying that that was what I was doing. If I saw something like that right while I was in the moment of purging, I might not have been able to lie to myself for so long.

In a way, I think it's a good idea. As a person who has had an ED for a long time, I can say the placement and colors (even though they aren't my favorites) do have an impact. However, I don't think it would've helped when I was down too far but it might have made me more aware of services out there.

Well, I'm not bulimic, but if I saw this ad I would be annoyed because I'm tired of being warned about "girl diseases" all the damn time. My response would be "wtf?" followed by a flush. Can't the bathroom just be a private place, free from ads?

I think it's great. Half for reaching girls with EDs, half for awareness-raising. Teenagers need to talk more about eating disorders.

I couldn't care less that it's pink, in fact, I think pink is a lovely color. And how does the color matter one bit for the message of this sticker?

I hate the idea that pink is a terrible awful color in all situations almost as much as the idea that anything pink I own implies that breast cancer in women is my primary public health concern.

Oh and I think 'curable' is a fine way of putting it. Last year a friend of mine killed herself when it was confirmed that she has borderline personality disorder, and that she would never be without it. There's no need to tell teenagers that they will hate their bodies always, and I have faith that many 15 year olds who struggle with self-control and body image will have a wonderfully healthy relationship with food some 40 years later.

Reminds me of the public health campaign that trained female hairdressers to talk about risky sexual behavior with their clients and encourage more condom use. A kind of find them where they are gorilla tactic - I like it.

I guess I'm not sure how I feel about this. Well, that's not entirely true, since I know I hate the splatter. I've got no problem with the color, but if I saw this graphic I think it would make me feel a lot worse/more disgusting when I purged.

Personally, it took me a long time to seek help (only recently) because of how ashamed and disgusted I felt, not because I denied what I was doing. Of course, as a woman whose ED progressed into bulemia only in adulthood, I could be coming from a completely different place than the girls/teenagers they're targeting.

I'm pretty ok with it- I don't really see it doing any harm. Worst case scenario it'll be ignored or laughed at. But ideally, and I think most likely, it'll at least make the person stop and introspect for at least a moment, and I see no harm in that, either. Even if they only notice it after they're done purging, even if it causes some short-term annoyance at the suggestion, it'll at least provoke some internal dialogue on the matter, which is helpful on stigmatized issues like EDs.

I think this ad is great. If I'd seen it during one of my low points, it might not have made me get help right then, but it definitely would have got me thinking about it. And if I'd seen it several times, I might have even checked out their website. I think that's huge, and if they get even a few women thinking about their options, in my mind they've done a great job already.

Everyone here talking about "bulimic women wouldn't like this" or "bulimic women only think such and such" or "people are bulimic for x reason" - you don't know shit about shit until you've been there. Lose the condescending father-knows-best attitude until you've been there. Until you've lived with an eating disorder, you don't get to tell me how a person with an ED would/should react. Sure, you can talk about how you, a person without an eating disorder, feel about it. But don't pretend that you can understand how the target audience would feel about it.

"Women become bulimic due to unattainable beauty standards"

More than enough women attain such standards -- certainly more than enough to saturate the media. So, by definition, these standards are not unattainable. Personal failure is not a reason to ignore or delegitimize the success of others.

"I think ads that feature messages such as, "you are beautiful", "you are amazing" etc. are more effective"

Lying is not effective, it is pathological.

@ julius: Even if we disregard the existence of photoshop, looking like a model is not possible for the vast majority of women, no matter how hard they try or how much money they spend. It's genetics.

Is no one else disturbed that they're placing ads (messages, if you'd prefer) in the most private of places? Bulimic or not, I would be (and am) disturbed and offended that someone is invading my privacy like that. A bathroom stall is not the place. Would it kill them to put it on the outside of the bathroom door?

@ julius: I know you're probably a troll who I should not be engaging, but your logic is so poor that I can't help it: even if we disregard the existence of photoshop, looking like a model is not possible for the vast majority of women, no matter how hard they try or how much money they spend. It's genetics. I won't bother to address the other part of your comment.

Is no one else disturbed that they're placing ads (messages, if you'd prefer) in the most private of places? Bulimic or not, I would be -and am- disturbed and offended that someone is invading my privacy like that. A bathroom stall is not the place. Would it kill them to put it on the outside of the bathroom door?

You know what? I love this. I can't speak for anyone else, but when I was sick, purging was rock bottom. It felt like a step up from suicide--it was what happened when there were simply no other options. If I had seen a sticker like that, telling me that there truly was a better option, I think I would definitely have called. I especially like that there's a number--there's nothing to write down or put off, there's no excuse not to get help.

And about the color, I understand the pink-femininity problem, but personally, I'm not about to get offended by any and all usage of the color pink.

@EGhead:

"looking like a model is not possible for the vast majority of women"

In our era of plastic surgery, pushup bras, makeup, cosmetic products and services, not to mention widespread gyms and widely available dieting resources, looking like a model has never been easier, cheaper or more widely available. Beauty is more democratized than ever before in human history. Genetics is no longer an excuse, it is merely a stumbling block. No one is born a CEO any more than anyone is born a model, but some people make it happen. Don't delegitimize the success of other merely because you've failed.

"I won't bother to address the other part of your comment."

Sure, ignore what you can't refute, maybe it will go away.

Oh come off it. Plastic surgery -- in fact, beauty in general -- has never been more accessible or affordable in all of human history. If you don't have the cash on hand, you can even get a bank loan for it. Maybe not easily right now, but you could have done this up till about a year ago, before the recession hit, and you could have easily paid it back with the newfound moneymaking opportunities (professional and otherwise) your better looks would have gotten you.

If you don't have the *desire* to succeed, however, that's your problem and your problem only. Work on it with your therapist.

"Besides - I'd like to not be treated as a failure or successful person on the basis of my looks, thanks you."

I'd like monkeys to fly out of my butt. It would be fun for a little while. Unfortunately, we live in the real world, in which monkeys do not fly out of butts, and in which people judge each other by their looks first and foremost. Welcome to the real world.

"Locating agency, power, and success in the choice to conform to beauty standards yields a pretty meagre conceptions of agency and power, doesn't it?"

Nope. Success is a result of rare and desirable qualities. You don't get to define what these qualities are, your environment does. If everyone around you is a superb writer, your better than average writing skills won't help you succeed, because it's not rare or desirable. The opposite is true as well -- in an environment where beauty is rare and desirable, beauty brings success. This is how it is in our society right now. When your feminist worldview conflicts with elementary macroeconomics, it's time to get a fucking clue.